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DPP evidence against Nandutu
State Minister for Karamoja Affairs Agness Nandutu arrives at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kololo, Kampala, where she was charged with dealing with suspect property. She was committed to the High Court and remanded until May 3. PHOTO / ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Police investigations revealed that State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, on June 23, 2022, availed Shs750,000 for transport and tasked her personal assistant to pick the iron sheets from OPM stores.
The prosecution has raised seven grounds and will, during trial, rely on up to 21 documents to pin Ms Agness Nandutu, the State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, who was remanded to prison yesterday.
In a summary of evidence presented to court, chief State Attorney David Bisamunyu said the accused represented her ministry at the June 12, 2022 official launch by President Museveni at the distribution of iron sheets to beneficiaries in Karamoja.
Only 1,000 out of 10,000 iron sheets requested from the Office of Prime Minister (OPM) stores by senior line minister Goretti Kitutu’s personal assistant Joshua Abaho were, for unexplained reasons, taken to the event at Naitakwae Grounds in Moroto District.
Prosecution states that minister Kitutu, in the same month of June, offered her junior 2,000 iron sheets out of the balance of 9,000, which the latter accepted, purportedly to help victims of a landslide that toppled houses.
“The offer of 2,000 iron sheets was from the balance of 9,000 iron sheets initially meant for the official launch [of the distribution] in Moroto,” the seven-page summary of case reads in part.
Police investigations revealed that Ms Nandutu, on June 23, 2022, availed Shs750,000 for transport and tasked her personal assistant Evelyn Bazibu to pick the iron sheets from OPM stores in Namanve, east of Kampala.
The aide signed for them on behalf of the minister on delivery note/voucher number 7840 and delivered the consignment at her Wakiso residence from where the minister enumerated them.
It is alleged that Ms Nandutu, in July, then telephoned to authorise her personal assistant to hire a vehicle and loaders and the iron sheets were moved to the minister’s home in Mukono by her farm manager John Wetenga.
In the summary of the case, prosecution says the minister, during interrogation on March 24, admitted these chronology of events to police detectives, who she referred to her home where 1,617 iron sheets were recovered.
“That on March 24, 2023, and March 24, 2023, the [police] evidence response team under the Department of Criminal Identification conducted a search at the farm belonging to the accused located at Kkola cell, Bulwanyi parish, Mukono Municipality,” the summary of case presented in court yesterday reads in part.
It adds: “The search was conducted in the presence of the farm manager (Wetenga), local authorities and area police from Mukono. The accused later joined the team and signed on both search certificates … the accused failed to account for the whereabouts of 383 missing iron sheets.
Minister Nandutu was arraigned in court and formally charged with dealing in suspect property, an offence she denied, and was remanded to Luzira Prison following her committal for trial at the next convenient session of the High Court of the Anti-Corruption Division. She is scheduled to return to court on May 3.
Chief State Attorney Bisamunyu, who represented the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Jane Frances Abodo, told court that they will rely on the terms and conditions of Ms Nandutu’s appointment as a minister, police reports on exhibit recovery and OPM iron sheet delivery notes, among other documents, to incriminate the minister.
21 documents prosecution will rely on
● Terms and conditions of appointment letter of minister dated June 30, 2021 as the State Minister for Karamoja Affairs.
● Report on recovery of exhibits vide CID HQTRS E 036/2023 dated April 4, 2021.
● OPM delivery note/ issue voucher no. 7840
● Internal memo from Joshua Abaho to US/AO dated June 8th, 2022.
● Ledger book extract
● Report of the government analytical laboratory
● Specimen signatures and handwriting.
● Police form 28 dated 31/03/2023.
● Search certificate dated 24/3/2023 and 25/3/2023
● Accounting warrant request dated 25/2/2022
● Budget comparison report
● Third quarter release for additional expenditure for FY 2021/22
● Budget disarmament process for Karamoja
● Internal memo dated 23/2/2022
● Emergency budget support for Karamoja
● Warrant report for Karamoja
● Government of Uganda payment advice from Bank of Uganda dated 5/4/2023
● Government of Uganda approved warrant report dated 5/4/2023
● Internal audit report dated 20/2/2023
● Auditor General’s report
● Any other documents with leave of court.
